True Power
by ASlaveToWords
Summary: What is true power? Money? Intelligence? Ayana saw it as control. When someone held your life and emotions in one hand, could do as they pleased; that was true power. A power she didn't have. But Jim is determined to show her what true power really is.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is a request I wrote for Aussijimfan. The idea(s) for the story and the OC are both/all hers, I simply wrote it for her. It's the first time I've attempted something like this before so please go easy on me, I worked really hard on it and I honestly tried my very best. This is only one of... I'm not sure how many chapters, most likely only two. I'm working as hard and fast as I can to get the next one out asap. In the meantime, please R&R and lemme know what you think so far. Hope you like it AJF. :)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing... not even the story's main idea or character :S

* * *

The screaming. The screaming was so loud. Make it stop.

_Make it stop._

"MAKE IT STOOOP!"

Ayana Taylor bolted up in bed, panting heavily and in a cold sweat. Her dark grey eyes frantically scanned the room, looking for the source of the sound. But, as usual, she was met with nothing but silent darkness as she starred into her empty dorm. Looking at her clock, the teen discovered it was four am in the morning.

With a heavy sigh Ayana leaned forward and buried her face in her hands, running them down over her face before taking a deep, calming breath.

"Stupid dreams..." She mumbled to herself. "I thought I'd finally gotten rid of them..."

Deciding she neither wanted to nor would be able to sleep again that night, Ayana swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched wide. Hoisting herself to her feet, she made her way over to the side of the room, flicked on the lights and walked over to the closet at the far end of the room. Opening the doors, she starred dully at the closet full of identical uniforms and sighed heavily before extracting one. After closing the door again, she turned and made her way to the bathroom.

_"Damn good thing these walls are soundproof..."_ The brunette thought to herself as she stripped of her damp PJ's and stepped into the shower. _"Screaming like that all the time, I'd have the whole building at my door!"_

Ayana frowned as she let the water cascade down over her tawny-skinned body. She knew why the dream had returned. It was because she'd given up her pills; abandoned them for the past week thinking she could handle the consequences on her own.

She'd been wrong.

A heavy sigh escaped the teen as she closed her eyes and turned her face upwards, allowing the water to run down her face.

Well, if nothing else, at least she still had her sanity... for now.

* * *

Jim smiled as he stepped out onto the balcony of his dorm and greeted the day. It was the most beautiful morning he remembered seeing in a long time. The sun was shinning, the birds were singing, and the only clouds in the sky were as fluffy, white and harmless as a cloud could possibly be. In short, it was perfection at it's finest.

As tanned arms leaned forward to rest against the railing, a blue-green gaze lowered from the sky and turned it's attention to the large building visible some ways away.

The girls dorm.

A second smile graced Jim's lips as a particular image came to mind.

_"Today would be the perfect day for that walk I had planned. Maybe a picnic? I'll bet she'd love that... she seems so down lately."_

Deciding this was the perfect plan, Jim straightened up and stretched before turning and disappearing into his dorm.

* * *

Ayana grabbed her school bag and took one last glance around the room, her dark grey eyes scanning the area for anything out of place. Bed made, room tidy, dirty clothes deposited in the hamper. Yep, everything was in order.

With a small nod to herself, the brunette turned and left the room behind, making sure to lock the door behind her on the way out.

-;-

_"Do I want breakfast this morning?" _Ayana thought dully. _"I'm not really that hungry... but on the other hand, I've gotta eat."_

The brunette sweatdropped as she remembered what had happened the last time she'd skipped breakfast.

_"I don't think I could handle another embarrassment like that! Geeze! Jaden had the whole damn cafeteria starring! Food lecture from Jaden this morning? No. Breakfast it is!"_

She sighed as she headed into the cafateria, blinking dully as she noted the empty hall. As usual, she was the first one there.

_"Hm.. no one here yet. Maybe I could skip breakfast after all and tell Jaden that-"_

"Hey, Sheila! Over 'ere!"

Ayana paused in her walk and turned to look over her shoulder. Her heart made a sickening flutter as she saw the person smiling and waving at her, having just come through the door.

"Oh... hey, Jim." She said timidly, trying her best to force a smile. Apparently it was convincing enough because the Aussie smiled back.

"Morning!" He greeted cheerfully, having reached her now. "Decided on what you're havin' yet?"

Ayana bit her cheek.

"Uhmmm..." She hummed thoughtfully, deciding on how best to tell Jim her decision.

"Not plannin' on skippin' out are ya?" He replied immediately. Ayana blinked at him.

"Uh.. well I..."

Jim raised an eyebrow.

"You know what happened last time." He stated simply. Ayana sweatdropped.

"Yea. I know." She sighed. She then turned her head away from him and mumbled. "I'm not really hungry though..."

"Me either!" Jim declared. Ayana looked back at him in surprise.

"You're not?"

"Nope. But ya gotta eat! Keeps your strength up! Come on, lets go grab a light snack."

Ayana sighed lightly in defeat and followed after the teen as he lead his way to the food area.

"Hmmm... I think I'll take two orange juice, one strawberry yogurt, one peach and two blueberry muffins."

Ayana couldn't resist a small smile at this. Blueberry; her favorite. He knew her so well.

"Thanks, mate."

Ayana reached into her pocket for money when the food was placed before her but Jim dismissed it.

"No worries, Sheila." He said casually. "I got it."

Ayana frowned deeply.

"No, Jim." She said firmly. But the Aussie ignored her and paid the man in front of him before picking up what he'd ordered.

"Well, come along then."

Ayana took a deep breath and chewed her cheek for a minute before finally sighing heavily and following after the Aussie.

* * *

"This is nice, Jim." The brunette said softly as they starred out over the scenery before them. "I'm definitely glad I decided on breakfast."

Jim smiled as he dipped his spoon into his yogurt again.

"Me too." He replied gently. "And yea, this is nice. Best breakfast I ever had."

Ayana laughed.

"It's just yogurt and muffins, Jim!" She replied in amusement. The Aussie turned a smile on her.

"Yea. But I've never had such good company before. Makes yogurt and muffins worth it."

The brunette blushed and turned away from him, deciding to spoon more of her breakfast into her mouth rather then reply.

A long yet comfortable silence followed as the two ate together, starring out over the scene before them. As they sat beneath the shade of a beautiful oak, atop a beautiful hill, neither could argue that the moment was the definition of peaceful.

Finally Jim finished, only just surpassing Ayana, and leaned back against the tree as he turned to look at her.

"Can I ask you a question, Sheila?"

Ayana paused with her spoon in her mouth and blinked at him. After a moment or two she removed the plastic, swallowed and spoke.

"Yea, sure. Ask away."

Jim placed his hands behind his head and starred at her for a moment, observing her while unintentionally making the teen extremely nervous. Finally he looked away from her and turned his attention towards the bright blue sky before speaking.

"What's gotten ya so down lately?"

The brunette frowned slightly and turned away from him, looking down at the half-eaten breakfast instead of him. After a lengthy silence she replied.

"I just... haven't been sleeping well lately."

"Why?"

She knew Jim was looking at her again but she still didn't turn to look at him. She couldn't.

"Because I stopped taking-"

The brunette paused before she finished the sentence, not wanting to give away too much information. Instead of saying what she was going to, Ayana did a U-turn and tried to cover up her mistake.

"I stopped taking the time to relax and replaced it with study... I've been up really late so I just haven't gotten much sleep. I'm tired. That's all."

Jim starred at her for a minute and for a while the brunette was sure he was looking right through her and it made her skin crawl. But instead of another question or further prodding, the Aussie turned back away from her again.

"I see." He said simply. "That's too bad. You need to take time for yourself, sheila. It's not healthy to deprive yourself of too much sleep."

Ayana closed her eyes, resisting another frown.

"I know." She whispered softly.

"Ayana?"

The brunette opened her eyes and finally turned to look at Jim.

"Yes?"

Jim starred into her eyes for a moment and eventually leaned in a little.

"If you ever need someone to talk to... I'm always 'ere."

Ayana felt her insides begin a raging war. Her body seemed unable to decide whether to be flustered or worried. Had Jim seen through her after all? Did he know she was hiding something?

"Th-... thank you, Jim." She eventually whispered, the soft-spoken words barely audible.

Jim nodded but didn't pull away from her, he continued starring into her eyes and once again Ayana had the idea of him looking straight through her.

Finally the brunette turned away, effectivly breaking the gaze.

"It's.. getting late." She said quietly. "We should be getting to class."

Jim nodded and finally pulled back from the girl.

"I'll walk you."

Ayana shook her head, refusing to look at the Aussie.

"No. I've gotta collect some things before class, so I'll see you later." Her bangs shadowed her face as she stood, collecting her garbage as she did. "Thank you for breakfast, Jim."

And with nothing more to say, Ayana walked away, doing her damnedest not to visibly tremble as she fought to pull herself together.

-;-

Jim watched the brunette walk down the hill, her body visibly tense and rigid.

He frowned.

_"What are you hiding, Sheila?"_ He thought solemnly. _"I know you almost let something slip back there... but what? And more importantly; should I be worried?"_

The Aussie watched Ayana until he couldn't see her anymore and closed his eyes as he pictured her pretty face before him.

_"Supposed to or not... I am. I've got a feeling she's hiding something important and until I find out what it is, I won't give up."_

Determined to get to the bottom of things, Jim opened his eyes and looked beside him. Collecting his own garbage, he stood up and began his own long trek down the hill.

Whether he should be worried or not, he was. And even if it killed him, he was going to find out what Ayana was hiding and help her fix it.

Somehow.

* * *

Ayana closed her door and leaned against it as she tried to quite her racing heart.

Jim Knew.

He knew. How? She had been so careful to hide everything, so careful not to let anything slip. At least, until that morning. Was it something she'd said that morning? Something she'd done? How had he known?

Well, however he'd done it, Jim was on to her; he knew she was hiding something.

Ayana pushed herself off the door and forced her wobbly legs to move forward until they made it to the bathroom. There she reached out and turned on the water, splashed some of the cold liquid on her face and reached down to clasp the sink tightly while she tried desperately to pull herself together.

"Get a hold of yourself, Ayana." She scolded herself. "If you've given Jim a reason to be suspicious, then don't give him another one! Convince him that you're fine and that there's nothing wrong. You don't need to hurt him by dragging him into your mess!"

The brunette lifted her chin and looked at her now pale expression in the mirror with a deep frown.

"It'll be fine. I'll take the pills again tonight and I'll sleep. I won't dream and in a few days everything will go back to normal... I'll be fine."

Eventually convincing herself of this, Ayana reached into her pocket and pulled out her PDA. Checking the time, she realized that she only had a few minutes until class started so she'd better get going.

Reaching for a towel, the brunette dried her face before reaching below the sink to extract a small compact. She applied a small amount of the powder to her face to darken the pale completion before replacing the round object and heading for the door.

* * *

Jim's gaze was fixed on the back of a chocolate-brown haired head as he tuned out of the lecture taking place around him.

"_Come to think of it..."_ He thought to himself, frowning slightly as he starred at Ayana, whom was sitting just a few rows below him in the crowded classroom. _"I don't really know anything about her. We've been friends for a whole year and I never bothered to ask her about her past... she always seemed so guarded."_

Jim placed his elbow on the table and and propped his chin up in his hand as the world around him faded away, the Aussie becoming completely consumed then by his thoughts.

_"Never thought it was important before, not if she didn't wanna talk about it... but now I think it's time I pushed the matter. That little Sheila is hidin' something and I've got a feeling it's something that I should be worried about."_

Jim sighed and closed his eyes.

_"For the love of duel monsters..."_ He thought, his stomach suddenly twisting sickeningly. _"Please let this be just my imagination."_

The feeling of something nudging his ribs woke the Aussie from his trance and a brilliant blue-green eye opened to look to his left, blinking at the blunette gently elbowing his ribs.

"Hey, Jim ol' buddy? You OK?"

Jim straightened in his seat and offered Jesse a small smile.

"I'm alright, mate. Just thinking about something."

Jesse starred at him for a moment, the familiar worry Jim himself was feeling crossing the blunette's face before his friend finally returned his smile.

"Alright, if you say so. Anyway, class is over so we're goin' ta grab a bite to eat. You comin'?"

Jim started a little in surprise, having not realized class had ended. Looking down once more, he frowned again to see that Ayana had disappeared.

_"Jim, you dunder-head!"_ He scolded himself in his mind. "_You were supposed to catch her for that picnic you'd planned! Better go see if I can find her."_

Standing up to collect his things, Jim turned and headed down the stairs that would lead him out of the classroom.

"Thanks, Mate, but there's somethin' I gotta do." He called over his shoulder giving the other Obelisk student a small wave. "I'll catch up with yeh later!"

That said, the Aussie left the classroom and hastily made his way down the packed hallway.

* * *

Ayana collapsed on her bed and closed her eyes, her backpack falling to the floor beside her.

_"I'm so tired..."_ She thought with a frown. _"But I've still got classes after lunch... besides I don't wanna sleep cause I know I'll have those awful dreams again and I can't take the pills cause it's too early... but I'm so tired..."_

Steel-grey eyes slid slowly shut, heavily lidded as exaustion slowly took over.

"Maybe just... a little nap before lunch is over..." She mumbled softly. And as soon as the words were out of her mouth the darkness had claimed her.

-;-

"Mommy, what's happening? Why's daddy acting this way?"

Coal-colored eyes were wide and frantic as they bore into their daughter's considerably softer ones.

"Daddy's a little angry, baby." The young woman replied, her voice a little shaky.

The little girl standing there starred at the woman knelt before her with her hands on her shoulders. She watched as her mother's head snapped to the locked and barricaded door to her left.

"Daddy's always angry..." The little girl replied in a saddened whisper. Her mother looked back at her with a soft expression but terrified eyes.

"I know, baby." She replied gently, her voice still shaky. "But this time... it's a little different... I want you to do something for me, OK?"

"OK..." A little voice replied, the little girl biting her lip slightly.

"I need you to go out the back door and run over to Mrs. Shaw's house? Will you do that for me?"

Steel-grey eyes turned to the barred door, her eyes filling up as she listened to her father's persistent and furious pounding and cursing. Turning back to her mother, she shook her head.

"No... I wanna stay here with you..."

"Ayana, this is important." The young woman said, obviously forcing her voice to be firm. "I need you to be a big girl and do this for me. Just... run on over there and mommy will... I'll see you over there later, OK?"

Two pairs of eyes snapped towards the door as it suddenly splintered and a small crack appeared down the center or it.

"Open the damn door, Anna!" A deep and booming voice snarled. "Or I'll break it down myself!"

Coal-grey eyes turned towards her daughter in nothing short of horror now. Desperately she picked up her daughter and ran for the back door. Unlocking it, she put her daughter down on the front step and gave her a shove.

"GO!" She exclaimed loudly. "Run, Ayana! I'll meet you there!"

Tears were streaming down the frightened and panicked five-year-old's face as she starred up at her mother.

"You promise?" She sobbed. Her mother's tear-pooled eyes blinked a few times before she nodded wordlessly.

"I love you, baby." She choked. She then shut the door and locked it again, just as a loud crashing sound was heard from inside the house.

-;-

Once again Ayana awoke with a loud scream.

"Damn it!" She sobbed, reaching up to dig the heel of her hand into her forehead. "Damn you, you bastard! You ruined everything!"

Steel-grey eyes clenched shut as the all-too-familiar tears lined the long, thick lashes. In her mind she was cursing more then one person just then but neither of them were ones she needed or wanted to think about.

Forcing herself to sit up, Ayana's blurry eyes lifted to look up at the door across the room.

_"No, I won't do that to myself again."_ She thought firmly. _"I'm done with that... it's wrong... Normal people don't do that kinda thing... I want to be normal... I'm going to be normal..."_

The tears that had threatened to fall finally broke free of their confines as Ayana realized that she was no longer sitting on her bed but was now in front of the bathroom door.

"No... I won't do it..." She sobbed in a strangled whisper. "I wont... do it..."

But even as she spoke, convincing herself it was wrong and that she wouldn't put herself through it again, the cold, familiarly cold and steely object gleamed under the light of the bathroom like the smile of an old friend.

"Just this once..." She whispered aloud. "The last time... Just one... last... time..."

Just like all those years ago, Ayana bit her lip and her eyes slid shut, a wave of ecstasy and pleasure washing over her as the steely blade bit deeply into her already marred skin.

* * *

A deep frown creased Jim's face as he leaned against the gate outside of the Obelisk blue girls dorm. His thoughts were a mess as he wracked his brain to try and figure out just what the heck he was going to do concerning Ayana.

_"I've gotta go see her..." _He thought in concern. "_She didn't show up for her last class and I've got a feeling she won't show up for this one either..."_

A blue-green gaze lifted as a group of babbling and giggling girls approached the gate. Jim waited until they'd opened it before casually slipping in behind them before the gate could close. Hiding behind the girls to avoid the outside cameras, the Aussie followed them inside the dorms and quickly broke off from them once inside, sticking to the wall to once again avoid detection from security.

Down corridor after corridor the Aussie ran, careful to keep himself concealed in shadows and behind objects so as not to be seen. Luckily for him; classes were still going ahead so most people were off attending those, aside from the few who, like him, had a free slot. But those were easy to avoid.

Finally, after what seemed like no time, Jim reached the last corner that would lead him to dorm number 68. Poking his head around a wall, the Aussie made sure no one was around before coming around said corner and approaching the appropriate door. Once before it, he pulled himself to his full height, took a long, deep breath and eventually lifted his fist to give the door a good, strong knock.

His fist against the door sounded like thunder in the dead silent hall and Jim found himself hoping that Ayana would answer quickly lest the disruption bring curious investigators to his feet thus getting him in a heap of trouble.

After a long few minutes of nothing, Jim chewed his cheek for a moment before reluctantly lifting his fist to knock again. Once more he was met with silence.

Sighing heavily, Jim looked down at the doorknob. Common sense told him to turn and walk away, that if the door miraculously was unlocked that it didn't mean he should enter; it was an invasion of privacy. However, something inside him told him that the time for such manners and politeness was not now, that privacy was over-shadowed by a greater urgency. He simply didn't know what that urgency was.

Working his jaw for a few excruciating minutes, Jim eventually took a deep breath before reaching up to place a hand on the doorknob. After a slight hesitation, he gave it a twist, not really expecting it to give. He was therefor a little surprised when the brass ball turned in his hand.

Again hesitating for a moment, Jim took another deep breath before finally pushing the door slowly open and poking his head inside.

"'Ello?" The Aussie called carefully, allowing his eyes to carefully scan the room.

The room was nearly pitch black, the curtains being drawn as if to block out the sun and the only source of light seemed to be coming from the open door. Perhaps she had been taking a nap? Aside from the darkness, nothing looked out of place. Clothes were properly deposited into the laundry basket, the bed looked properly made for the most part, only slightly wrinkled as if it had been slept upon and not in, and everything was properly organized and placed just so.

Pushing the door open a little, Jim finally stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind him. Upon doing so, Jim realized that the door he'd previously held open wasn't the only sourse of light in the room after all. Looking around, the Aussie quickly realized that a faint glow also seemed to be coming from another slightly ajar door across the dorm. From what he knew about the layouts of the Obelisk dorms, the Aussie knew that the room must have been the bathroom.

"Ayana?" He called, not too loud but loud enough to alert her of his presence. Still the Aussie was met with silence.

A sickening feeling began to bubble deep in the pit of Jim's stomach now. His mind was telling him to walk towards the door but something was holding him back, as if forbidding him to do so. A blue-green gaze was locked unblinkingly on the now dark and foreboding looking door and a shiver ran down Jim's spine as he felt the cold sweat beginning to creep up on him. He _really_ didn't want to approach that door... but somehow he knew he had to.

Eventually forcing a swallow, the effort much harder then it should have been, Jim finally forced himself to lift one led-filled boot and place it in front of the other. After a few stiff moments, he managed to move the other one, then again, and again, each step heavier and taking more effort then the last. The Aussie felt like he was running a marathon; his heart was thundering rapidly in his chest and his breath was coming in short, forced spurts.

_"C'mon, mate!"_ Jim told himself bravely._ "What's there to be afraid of? She's probably not feelin' well... just takin a bath.. or sat by the loo. No energy to talk, that's all... or music. Yea, that's it, she's listenin' to music. Nothin' to be afraid of!"_

Holding onto that thought for dear life, Jim forced himself to stop in front of the bathroom door, take a good, long deep breath and finally lift his hand to bravely push it open.

Having braced himself for the worst, Jim released a heavy breath as his eyes fell on the frame beside the tub. Blinking at her for a few moments, he smiled at the way she was resting on one arm, her face turned away from him as she leaned against the side of the tub.

_"There, ya see."_ The Aussie thought to himself. _"Got all worked up for nothin'. Poor lil' Sheila just fell asleep is all. She must'a bin sick and didn't trust herself to make it to the loo."_

A warm and amused smile on his face, Jim approached the slender frame, intending to pick her up and carry her back out to her bed.

"Up ya go, love." The Aussie said softly, crouching down a placing a hand on Ayana's arm. "No need t-"

Jim froze and all color instantly drained from his face as he leaned forward to pick the girl up. Now being as close as he was, Jim could see over the girls shoulder and noted with shocked horror the trail of crimson liquid leaking from Ayana's wrist down into the tub, the tiny stream swirling slightly before finally oozing down the drain.

"Ayana!" The Aussie called in alarm, grabbing a hold of her shoulders and giving them a firm shake. "Ayana! Are you- Are- Say something, Sheila!"

A tiny groan emitted from the girl and her head lolled backwards as Jim pulled her into a sitting position.

"Damn it!" The Aussie cursed forcefully.

Placing her back against the tub, Jim reached up and removed the bandanna from around his neck before reaching out and snatching the sliced wrist and wrapping the cloth as tightly around it as he possibly could. Without a second thought he slipped an arm under the girl's knees and the other around her back before effortlessly hoisting her into his arms and bolting out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Okay sooo... here's the next/last one (finally). I know it's rushed and totally void of any real detail, and I'm terribly sorry for that... Again, I did work long and hard on this story and seeing as it's not technically an original and I had a few restrictions, I think I did okay... lol. In any case, hope you guys like it. Please R&R.

**Disclaimer:** Once more, the general ideas and main character of this story belong to AussieJimFan, not me. And, of course, YGOGX belongs to... well I'm not sure who it belongs to but it's not mine -_-;

* * *

The light. It was so bright, so blinding. Had her bathroom always been that bright?

A tiny groan escaped Ayana as she slowly blinked herself back into consciousness. Once her blurry vision had finally cleared, she looked around the room and furrowed her brows at the strange surroundings.

_"Where... am I?"_ She thought in confusion. After looking around for some time, she eventually recognised the place. _"The Infirmary? But how...?"_

Her gaze trailed to her left and paused as it lingered on the figure beside her bed. Sitting in a chair, his hands forming a tent before his face was Jim. The Aussie looked exhausted but his eye was open and very alert. The poor boy didn't notice that she was awake, however; he seemed to be in a deep trance. Ayana swallowed weakly, a little displeased to find her throat very dry.

"Jim...?"

A blue-green gaze turned slowly to meet hers and it lingered on the patient in the bed for a few long, nerve-wrecking minutes before speaking.

"You're awake." He said tonelessly.

Ayana frowned as she noted the expression on his face. He didn't look too happy at this prospect. And was that anger in his face? Anger and perhaps hurt? And also.. no, it couldn't be... betrayal?

"How... How did I-?" Ayana paused and bit her lip. "Did you... bring me here, Jim?"

Jim didn't reply to the question, instead he placed his hands at his sides and turned to fully face her.

"Why?"

Ayana blinked at the teen, a little confused.

"Why..?" She repeated questioningly. Jim's expression darkened.

"Yes! Why?" He repeated, his voice raised, a little angrier this time. Quick as a lick, the Aussie reached out and snatched up her injured wrist, lifting it between them before continuing. "Why did you do this, Ayana? It's obviously not the first time, I can see that for myself! At least now I know why I never saw you wear anything but long-sleeved shirts! But what I can't understand is why in hell anyone would want to do this to themselves! You owe me an explanation, Ayana!"

The girl winced but she herself wasn't sure if it was from the immense pain Jim was causing by squeezing her bandaged wrist, or the pain from his words and raised voice.

Either way, Jim didn't miss the look and eased his grip on the girl. His expression also softened considerably as well and his hand moved from her wrist to her hand, cupping it in both of his as he starred into her eyes with an overwhelming amount of concern.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered gently. "I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just... My, God, I was so worried! Please, Ayana... you know I've never pushed you about yourself or your past or anything you've never wanted to talk about... but I need to know this. Why would you do this to yourself? What could be so bad that this seemed like the only way out?"

The girl blushed considerably and turned away from him. She was sure it was mostly his concern for her but she knew it was also partly due to the fact that he had thought her little... escape, had been meant to be permanent.

"Jim, I-... I didn't want to... I mean... It wasn't meant to be.. permanent."

Jim's breath hitched but he allowed himself to relax slightly. Well, that was some good news. Giving the girl's hand a gentle squeeze he caressed it with his thumb before encouraging her to continue.

"That's good to hear, Sheila..." He said softly. "Please, continue."

Ayana swallowed again, still not looking at the Aussie.

"I... I haven't really told you anything about me, Jim. I haven't told anyone, not just you... There's so much you don't understand..."

Jim stood up now and Ayana turned to look at him, half afraid he would leave. But to her surprise, the Aussie moved to sit with her on the bed, his form facing her as he keept her hand cupped gently between both of his large, warm ones.

"Then make me understand..." He whispered softly. "I want to know you... I want to help you, Aya."

Ayana felt herself choke up at this, feeling greatly touched. Forcing back her emotions she allowed herself to relax and tell him the whole story, start to finish, as she'd never told anyone before.

"When I was a little girl... my father was always angry, all the time. I had no idea why and to this day I still don't know. But... in his most savage moments he would take his anger out on my mother. He never hit or yelled at me, quite the opposite; instead he completely ignored me. But that didn't stop him from hurting my mother when I was around."

Jim felt his throat constrict and found it extremely hard to swallow. He felt like he had when he'd first arrived at Ayana's room and starred at the foreboding bathroom door; he didn't want to continue on but he knew he had to.

"Go... go on..." The Aussie whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

Not even registering or noticing the crack, Ayana continued.

"One day, when I was about five, my father came home particularly angry... Somehow my mother knew it was different this time and took me to the kitchen at the back of the house. She locked and barricaded off the door against my father, and, of course, that only infuriated him more. She tried her best to keep him out but she knew she wouldn't be able to do much against him if he got through and that this time he probably wouldn't ignore me as usual.

I tried to resist but my mother was insistent; she wanted me out of the house. I didn't know how I knew, I suppose it was that strange almost sixth sense inside children that told me so, but I knew that this time was different then the rest; that if I left my mother's side it would be the last time I ever saw her again. But still, a five year old doesn't have much say in grown-up matters.

Against my will, my mother took me and put me outside, locking me out. I was supposed to run next door to our neighbours house but... I couldn't... especially not after hearing the door inside splinter... I'll never forget the sound of my mother's scream as-..."

Jim's blue-green eye was wide and breathing was impossible. He couldn't swallow, he couldn't move. He couldn't speak. All he could do was stare in shock and sorrow as Ayana starred blankly ahead of her, completely oblivious to Jim and the effect her story was having on him.

"I know what you're probably thinking; why didn't her mother call the police? Why didn't she run away too? Why didn't she do something smart?... I always wondered the same thing, but... I suppose even through it all, she hoped that she could get through to him, that she could somehow get him to change his ways... I suppose she still loved him."

Jim's chest was heaving and both it and his throat were thick with emotion.

"So... so he-, I mean, she was-... she-"

"He killed her." Ayana said simply, still not looking at him and speaking as if she'd merely answered a tough math problem. "Yes. With his bare hands... those huge, massively powerful hulk hands."

Jim forced himself to swallow, forced himself to regain a little control, for her sake if not his own. But the feat was much harder then he'd anticipated. For Ayana, it was a life-long thing, something she'd been dealing with for a long time and, regrettably, gotten used to. But for Jim it was his first time hearing such a horror story first-hand and it both turned his stomach as well as filled him with an over-powering sense of sympathy and regret.

Eventually, the raven-haired teen gave Ayana's hand another squeeze.

"What happened after that...?" He asked, willing his voice to remain as calm and steady as possible. Once again Ayana continued.

"Mrs. Shaw, our neighbour, heard the racket and came over. She pulled me away from the door, kicking and screaming, and took me back to her house. There she called he police. But by the time they got there it was too late - for my mother at least. They arrested my father and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole, a quick and easy trial."

Jim blinked at her. Something was missing, there was more, he could feel it.

"Ayana... what else?"

This time, finally, Ayana's eyes filled up with tears and she closed her eyes to avoid looking at him.

"I... I..."

The tears spilled down Ayana's face and Jim instantly released her hand and instead reached out and pulled the girl into his arms. He held her close to him, cradled her in his arms like precious treasure and leaned down to rest his cheek against the top of her head.

"Shhh..." He cooed soothingly. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Ayana... please, rest, relax. You've come a long way today. It's a start."

Ayana sniffled and buried her face in Jim's chest as she wrapped her arms around him, holding on for dear life.

"I'm sorry Jim!" She sobbed into his chest. "I'm sorry I worried you! And I'm sorry I hurt you! And I'm sorry I dragged you down with me in this huge mess!"

Jim's heart clenched excruciatingly and a tear slipped from his own eye. He gave the girl a small squeeze and held her as close as their bodies would allow.

"I am hurt..." Jim choked softly, his voice cracking with the raw emotion. "But it's not your fault. I'm hurt because of what happened to you and that something so terrible would happen to someone so undeserving of it as you, Aya. And you didn't drag me down, I came willingly. I'm glad you brought me in, let me in. I'm glad that you let me share this with you... I'm going to help you, Aya. I promise. I'll never leave you and I'll always be here for you."

Jim felt his shirt sicking to his skin, now soaked with her tears. But it was a miniscule price to pay for her well-being and when the petite brunette muttered her strangeled thanks and gratitude, Jim felt the last of the bonds of composure holding him down snap. In silence, the Aussie lowered his head, placing it on her shoulder. From there he cried silently, careful not to let her notice and upset her further but unable to force back the flow of emotions she had brought on either.

* * *

Steel-grey eyes scanned over the scenery around them as a small smile graced Ayana's face. When she looked back at her companion, the smile brightened.

"This is really nice, Jim. Thank you."

Jim smiled back and nodded before leaning back against the tree they were sitting beneath and popped a grape into his mouth.

"Glad you like it, Sheila. You have no idea how long I've been planning this picnic!" He teased playfully.

Ayana laughed lightly and curled her legs up beside her before leaning back against the tree as well.

It had been a few days since Ayana had been released from the infirmary and by request from the girl herself, no one beside Jim and her attending physician knew the truth. As far as anyone else knew, she had simply collapsed from the stress and exhaustion of mid-terms and Jim had luckily been there to get her some help.

At that moment, the two were sitting in a secluded, quiet part of the woods, thoroughly enjoying their time together. Since her release, Ayana hadn't spared Jim a detail about anything and everything he'd wanted to know. At least, all things but one. That one thing was the suspicious dark area that Ayana had left after her story. He knew there was one more dark corner, the last dark piece and that something sinister and cruel was hiding in said corner. But as of yet Ayana had yet to shine a light into the corner and Jim had yet to push the matter. He had meant what he'd said that day; she had come a long way, and he'd planned on letting her adjust a little before pushing the matter again.

Now however, although they seemed to be having such a good time together, Jim felt that it was time he learned the whole truth, uncovered her last secret so as to start down the path that would help her.

Looking down at the bowl of fruit in his lap, Jim picked at them for a few moments before speaking, not looking at his companion when he did.

"Aya..?" He said gently. Ayana looked up and blinked at him.

"Yea?" She said curiously.

Jim paused but eventually took a deep breath, willing himself to continue.

"You've been quick and willing to tell me everything I wanted to know since you... recovered. But there's one thing you've left out and I feel it's an important piece... and I don't think I'll really be able to help you until I know what that something is."

A blue-green gaze lifted to look into steel-grey but the eyes had already turned away from him and were starring down into the bowl in her lap as he had been doing previously. Feeling his heart clench in sympathy, the Aussie reached out and slipped his fingers around the petite, tawny one so close to him.

"Please." He whispered softly. "I can help you, Aya. You don't have to do this alone anymore."

Ayana closed her eyes and took a deep, silent breath. When she opened her eyes again, they were half-lidded as if she were in a sort of daze, watching a movie that only she could see.

"There was a boy." She said tonelessly and Jim held his breath, realizing that he was finally going to find out what he needed to know. "He was Mrs. Shaw's son. To this day I never knew how he came to be the way he was. Both his parents are so sweet but him..."

Ayana trailed off that thread but soon picked up another.

"After the... my mother's death, the Shaw's took me in. I lived with them for years and they treated me like one of their own. The boy, his name was Darnell. He was the only friend I had... the only friend I was allowed to have."

Jim furrowed his brows.

"Allowed to have?" He repeated in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"He didn't want me to make other friends." Ayana explained in the same toneless voice. "He told me the world is a bad place and that people are only out to hurt me. And it was true. People almost always let me down or hurt me in some way, and he was always there to say I told you so. But even so, after they had all had their fun, he was always there for me."

Jim narrowed his eyes at this. Something about it didn't quite seem right. He was always there when everyone, every single person she met, hurt her? That seemed highly unlikely... Suppose it was possible this Darnell character was responsible for all those people hurting her?

Obviously not hearing his thoughts, Ayana continued without missing a beat.

"As we got older, things got more serious. He told me that he'd protect me always and that he could do that better if I was his girlfriend. So, I agreed. We moved out of his parents house and he got us an apartment. He worked and paid for the bills, I wasn't allowed, I had to stay home so that no one could hurt me. I never went out alone, only when he was with me. And if I ever talked to someone I wasn't supposed to, he'd punish me."

Jim's eyes widened in shock.

"Punish you?" He exclaimed in alarm. "What do you mean, punish you?"

Completely unfazed, Ayana replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, not shocking or alarming in the slightest.

"He'd hit me." She replied simply. "Or lock me in my room. Sometimes he'd take away my computer as punishment. But when he hit me it hurt. It hurt but I knew it was necessary. I'd done something wrong and I deserved to be punished. After all, he was the one who took care of me, the only one who cared about me and protected me. The least I could do was do as he asked of me."

Jim's mind was reeling. He felt like he was in some twisted movie or part of a sick joke. He couldn't really be hearing what he thought he was, could he? There was no way this calm and collected girl had gone through so much drama and turmoil? It was no damn wonder she had cut herself! If he was in her place, he was sure he would have killed the bastard long ago!

"He doesn't know I'm here. I told him I was going to an all girls school and it took all my strength and will to convince him that the place was real, that I didn't need him and that he couldn't come visit me because there were no boys allowed. I only see him on holidays and breaks now... but I still talk to him every night on the phone or the computer."

Ayana's expression finally changed and she suddenly looked a little sad but still had a slightly dazed expression on her face.

"He's really powerful." Ayana continued once again, still obviously not hearing Jim's unspoken thoughts. "I know he really loves me but... I just wish it didn't hurt so much."

Jim starred at her incrediously before reaching out and grabbing hold of her shoulders, turning her abruptly to face him.

"That's not power, Ayana!" He exclaimed loudly.

The girl flinched when the Aussie grabbed a hold of her and Jim immediately imagined a dark figure in his position, gripping and grasping her hard enough to leave behind hand-shaped bruises. Guiltily, Jim's grip loosened and his hands slid down her arms to clasp her hands in his instead.

"That's not power, Ayana." The teen repeated again. "And it's sure as hell not love."

Ayana starred at him as if seeing him for the first time.

"What do you mean...?" She asked softly, curiously. Jim's expression was tender.

"That's called control." He replied gently. "He doesn't love you, Aya. He just likes knowing he has complete control over someone."

Ayana blinked at him.

"To have complete control..." She repeated carefully, and for a moment, Jim's heart leaped hopefully, hoping he'd gotten through to her. "But... isn't that what true power is?"

Jim's heart sank again and he frowned.

"No..." He said softly. "It's not. That's not true power at all..."

The Aussie released one of Ayana's hands and reached up to gently cup her face, gently caressing her jaw with his thumb as he starred deeply into her eyes.

"True power is knowing you have the power to control someone, knowing you have their life and heart in you hands, but not abusing it. Protecting it and nurturing it rather then hurting. It's also being able to give that person the same power over you, allowing them the possibility to break your heart but trusting that they won't. That's true power."

Ayana blinked at Jim, as if the things he were telling her were that of legend and myth, something that had no business in the real world but still sounded pretty and tantalizing all the same. This time it was Jim's turn to continue.

"What has he ever offered you, Ayana?" He asked softly. "What has he ever given you besides pain and heartache? Protection? Protection from what? You've made friends since you've been here, haven't you? And they haven't hurt you. There are more people like that in the world, you just have to find them. And how can you find them with him holding you down? How can you say he loves you when he's been keeping you from all the fun things and all the good times you can have with your friends?"

Still Ayana was starring at him in a trance, as if she were the snake and he were the charmer.

The hand on her face moved slightly and Ayana flinched again. But instead of wrapping strong fingers around her neck like she expected, or striking her, or digging fingerprints deep into her skin, Jim's hand gently caressed her cheek, sending a delicious shiver down her spine, one of pleasure rather then dread.

"There's so much you've missed, Aya." Jim whispered, barely audible. "There's so much he's taken away from you. But it's all over now. He won't ever hurt you again, I'll make sure of that."

Ayana's body was in complete turmoil. She had so many questions to ask him, so many feelings whirling inside her, so many impulses she wanted to give into - some of them self-preservation tactics such as "run!" and "hide!", things she'd had to do when Darnell had caught her talking to someone else, savage in the case of other boys. But this, she'd never been this close to another boy before. And one besides him had never touched her before. He'd surely punish her severely for this...

But still, it felt so nice...

As if reading her mind, Jim smiled softly and his hand moved again, this time reaching out to tenderly brush her hair away from her face. The hand still wrapped around hers squeezed gently and caressed the back with his thumb.

"No more punishments." He whispered softly. "There's so much for you to learn, so many new things for you to see for yourself. And it all starts here; trust. You can trust me, Aya. Me, Jay, Jesse, Alexis, Sy, Blair... everyone you've met here at Duel Academy. We're all your friends and we're not going to hurt you. And I won't let him hurt you anymore either."

Ayana's chest was heaving with the swell of emotion beginning to over-power her.

"He won't like-"

A finger to her lips silenced her.

"It doesn't matter what he likes anymore." Jim said firmly. "All that matters from here on out is what you like. What you want and what you feel."

Ayana was still starring at him in a trance, still trying desperately to piece together this new revelation.

Jim's hand moved one more time, this time to her neck. Ayana's face paled slightly and her expression turned to one of fear. This tore Jim's heart apart and the Aussie felt his blood boil, wanting nothing more then to strangle the little bastard who had caused the innocent girl so much grief. Willing himself to be as gentle and careful as possible, the Aussie let his fingers trail gently across the sensitive flesh of her neck, tenderly brushing sensitive spots until finally the girl realized that he wasn't going to hurt her after all, that his touch was the polar opposite of her abusive partner's touch.

Finally Ayana relaxed and Jim couldn't help but smile slightly to feel the flutter of her pulse beneath his finger tips. The fact made his own heartbeat quicken. The teens hands slipped tenderly around the back of Ayana's neck and caressed tenderly, his fingertips brushing the sensitive flesh there as they had before. He couldn't help but smile again when Ayana's lids slid shut half mast, much the same as they had during her story-telling but with a much different expression this time.

"It's... so different..." The brunette whispered.

"From his touch?" Jim whispered in reply. Ayana nodded.

"He's never... this gentle..."

Jim's heartbeat quickened.

"You don't deserve what he put you through." He whispered softly. "You deserve to be treated like this all the time. To be shown what real love is. Not whatever that phony yobbo puts out."

Ayana's eyes slid open again and now she looked up at Jim with pleading curiosity.

"Show me.."

Jim gave her a questioning look.

"Show you?"

Ayana nodded again.

"Show me what it all feels like. Please? How I should feel and... what I've been missing and... and what real love is supposed to feel like..."

Jim's treacherous heart thundered against his rib cage, so loud he was sure his companion could hear it. It was a simple and innocent request, not a form of flirting or trying to be cute as it would have been in any other situation. But that's what made it all the more... adorable. Sweet. Heart-threatening.

If she did hear Jim's heart Ayana said nothing. The hand on her neck ceased it's caresses and instead placed itself firmly in place. It pleased Jim to note that this time the girl didn't flinch away from him. Instead she simply starred at him curiously, as if he were merely teaching her a new game.

Was this right? Jim wondered. Was it right to follow what his heart wanted when the girl was so venerable? Would it be considered as taking advantage of her? Should he simply explain to her the way relationships work and hope things eventually lead them down a pleasant road?

"Jim... please..."

That decided it. Jim knew that no matter what his head told him, he simply could not deny that beautiful, upturned face; not when it had been denied and hurt so badly already.

Swallowing quickly, Jim's lids closed slightly. His breathing was as unsteady as ever and his heart was racing a mile a minute but he ignored both in favor of the curious and unblinking eyes starring up at him.

"Real love..." Jim whispered, barely audible to even his own ears. "Should feel something like this..."

His lips brushed hers with tender affection, just a light dusting, a whisper of a kiss. But it had the desired effect and Ayana's breath hitched to feel a shiver of pleasure run down her spine. Everything was so much different when Jim did it, so much different then the force and abuse she was used to.

Ayana's eyes filled with tears and Jim's face pulled away from her in alarm.

"Aya!" He exclaimed in a slight panic. "I'm sorry! Wasn't that-?"

"Shh..."Ayana cooed reassuringly. "It's OK... I'm just... I was just wondering why I never realized how stupid I'd been before. I've seen this in movies, shows, books. I've seen this so many times but never thought it was real. I always though it was all make-believe and that people only pretended for story's sake and to make money... How could I have blinded myself, let myself believe that...? How could I not have seen what I was missing and let myself-...?"

The brunette bit her lip and Jim's heart sank again.

"You're thinking about him, again aren't you?"

The brunette nodded and Jim's frowned, this time removing both his hands and pulling her close to him. Ayana wrapped her arms around the Aussie and placed her head against his chest.

"I'm scared, Jim..." She whispered. "What if... what if he finds out the truth? About where I've really been and that I made friends?"

"He will find out."

Ayana's eyes widened and she pulled away from Jim with an alarmed expression.

"What?" She exclaimed in a panic. "What do you mean? You mean you'll tell him!"

"No." Jim replied simply. "You will. And I'll be there with you when you do. I'll be there when you return to him, when you tell him where you've been and what you've learned, and when you tell him you're moving out and leaving him."

Ayana's panicked expression had disappeared but she was still stunned.

"But... I could never-"

"Yes you can." Jim interrupted firmly. "You can and you will. I'll be there with you. And I really will protect you Ayana. If you want, we can ask Jess and Jay to come too. All your friends from DA if it'll make you feel better and make it easier. Whatever will help you. I won't let him hold you back anymore, Aya. None of us will."

Ayana bit her lip.

"But... where will I go?"

Jim gave her a soft smile.

"I'll help you with that." He said encouragingly. "Whatever you need, I'll help you."

Ayana's eyes filled with tears again and she wrapped her arms around Jim and hugged him tightly.

"You're like my own guardian angel, Jim!" She teased softly. Jim laughed and hugged her tight.

"I dunno about that, mate!" He replied with a laugh.

Ayana lifted her head and placed her chin on his chest as she looked up at him with a brilliant smile the likes Jim had never seen before, least of all on her face.

"Thank you so much..."

Jim had nothing else to say. Instead he simply smiled and nodded, slipping his arms further around the girl.

"Jim?... Can you... can do it again?"

Jim didn't need to ask what she meant, he knew full-well. Instead of speaking, he leaned slowly down and brushed his lips against hers again, ever-so-slightly firmer this time and just a tiny bit longer, but when he pulled away it was still a whisper of a kiss. Right then anything that rivaled the way this Darnell character made her feel felt good and she'd want more of it - Jim knew this. It was for this reason that he forced himself to take it easy, to ease her into all the new feelings. It was the safest and most fool-proof way to keep them both from getting hurt. He knew the girl was venerable just then and easily manipulated and he didn't want to be her rebound anymore then she'd want him to use her. If in time their current relationship developed into something more beautiful, then wonderful. If not, he still wanted to be able to call themselves friends in the end.

Jim smiled down at the still upturned face.

"One step at a time, love." He uttered softly.

Ayana starred at him for a few moments before finally smiling and nodding.

"One step at a time." She repeated softly. She then replaced her head against Jim's chest and hugged him tightly.

Jim released a heavy, contented sigh and held the girl close as he leaned back against the gentle giant behind him. He leaned down to press a lingering, tender kiss to the top of Ayana's head before resting his head against the tree and closing his eyes.

True power; the ability to break someones heart but choosing to keep and protect it instead. For once in her life, Ayana had that power rather then having been controlled by it. She deserved it, but for Jim's sake, he hoped she didn't realized it straight away; his natural male pride needed some time to adjust first.

Not that he would have changed it if he could.


End file.
